Communication networks, such as computer networks, use switches, routers, and other devices to carry information across the networks. A switch or router typically receives information in a network, identifies a destination for the information, and then forwards the information to the destination. This forwarding can be either directly to the destination or indirectly through one or more other devices.
A control firewall can be disposed between different networks to control communications between the different networks. The control firewall determines whether to allow or disallow a communication to pass from one network to another network. The control firewall can include a control firewall module that includes an Ethernet switch. The Ethernet switch includes an integrated circuit (IC). The BROADCOM CORPORATION has manufactured the BCM5338M Ethernet switch on an IC chip, which is an example of an Ethernet switch IC included in a control firewall module. This Ethernet switch IC (BCM5338M) has a feature to automatically broadcast Management Information Base (MIB) information encapsulated in an Ethernet frame at regular time interval. This feature is named MIB Autocast. Due to component obsolescence, the Ethernet switch IC (BCM5338M) needs to be replaced with an updated Ethernet switch IC. The updated Ethernet switch IC selected as a replacement may not include the MIB Autocast feature, and as a result, does not provide backwards compatibility with an existing system.